1. What was the lesson about? (If you can, jot down a summary of the lesson’s topic or its objectives).
Semi-permeable membranes are features of cells that allow exchanging of materials with the outside environment. In order to demonstrate this concept, a demonstration and observational activity were used to show students how barriers let some things through, and keep others in place. This particular hand-out includes pre-demonstration questions that introduce key concepts and prompt some forward thinking about what they will be observing.
2. Insert the photo of a student’s worksheet. (If possible, use a ‘scanner’ app on your iPad or iPhone to capture just the page or pages, and use Skitch to label the parts of the worksheet you wish to analyze)
(see above attached)
3. Based on the worksheet’s task, complete the summary table below for at least three tasks/worksheet items.
Item
Task
Key Concept or Skill
Cognitive Level1 = Low (knowledge)2= Med (application)3 = High (synthesis or evaluation)
1
2
3
4
Q 1
Q 2
Q 3
Q 4
"define diffusion"
classifying membranes, "break down and explain"
"which one applies to cell membrane"
create an explanation for an unknown object
1 - knowledge
1 - use knowledge to classify
2 - apply knowledge to other concept
3 - synthesize a possible explanation
4. Describe what students were supposed to learn during this lesson.
These were pre-lab questions that were supposed to prompt students for thinking of semi-permeable membranes. Students were asked to define diffusion, list and define types of membranes in their own words by breaking down the terms, and guess as to which type of membrane the balloon in the activity possessed. I liked that knowledge from the textbook and their own responses were guides to answer further questions. (Ex. "Out of the three terms from Question 2, which one applies to the cell membrane?")
5. Based on the student’s answers on the worksheet you captured, what did the student understand? What evidence to you have for this?
From the responses on the worksheet, I can see that the student has answered all of the questions correctly. This leads me to think that the student "gets it" to a degree. The student understands that particles are distributed during diffusion, and that the particles become evenly distributed. Definitions of the different membrane types highlight that they allow or do not allow the passage of molecules. Two of the three definitions were written shorthand. Applying the terms to the concept of a cell was done successfully, because they selected "semi permeable" from their list of terms/definitions. The student was also able to make a guess as to which type of membrane the balloon has.
6. What might the student still be struggling with? What evidence is present?
All of the answers that the student gave were technically correct. They probably generally understand the concepts. However, there was room for reflection and creativity in these pre-demo questions. It seems that the student may have brushed over some details. The definition of diffusion did not include the fact that no energy is required. When question 2 instructed students to "break down" the membrane terms and explain what they meant, the student did not seem to engage in this part of the question. Only simple definitions were provided. More detail (defining or identifying different parts of the terms, thinking how it applies to cells, etc) would have increased proof of their depth of understanding.
7. Were you satisfied that the worksheet or task was adequate for this topic? What changes might improve this resource in the future? Why? As mentioned earlier, I liked that the questions built upon each other. It is helpful to jog some memory and thoughts before providing a demonstration. Students might get more out of the demo if it is not an isolated incident. This worksheet also assesses if students understand the basic concepts. If the questions were answered incorrectly, Mr. Bruneau could clear up misconceptions. This student may have gotten more out of the pre-demo if the worksheet emphasized more reflection, or had more explicit directions about what to include in responses.
1. What was the lesson about? (If you can, jot down a summary of the lesson’s topic or its objectives).
Semi-permeable membranes are features of cells that allow exchanging of materials with the outside environment. In order to demonstrate this concept, a demonstration and observational activity were used to show students how barriers let some things through, and keep others in place. This particular hand-out includes pre-demonstration questions that introduce key concepts and prompt some forward thinking about what they will be observing.
2. Insert the photo of a student’s worksheet. (If possible, use a ‘scanner’ app on your iPad or iPhone to capture just the page or pages, and use Skitch to label the parts of the worksheet you wish to analyze)
(see above attached)
3. Based on the worksheet’s task, complete the summary table below for at least three tasks/worksheet items.
2
3
4
Q 2
Q 3
Q 4
classifying membranes, "break down and explain"
"which one applies to cell membrane"
create an explanation for an unknown object
1 - use knowledge to classify
2 - apply knowledge to other concept
3 - synthesize a possible explanation
4. Describe what students were supposed to learn during this lesson.
These were pre-lab questions that were supposed to prompt students for thinking of semi-permeable membranes. Students were asked to define diffusion, list and define types of membranes in their own words by breaking down the terms, and guess as to which type of membrane the balloon in the activity possessed. I liked that knowledge from the textbook and their own responses were guides to answer further questions. (Ex. "Out of the three terms from Question 2, which one applies to the cell membrane?")
5. Based on the student’s answers on the worksheet you captured, what did the student understand? What evidence to you have for this?
From the responses on the worksheet, I can see that the student has answered all of the questions correctly. This leads me to think that the student "gets it" to a degree. The student understands that particles are distributed during diffusion, and that the particles become evenly distributed. Definitions of the different membrane types highlight that they allow or do not allow the passage of molecules. Two of the three definitions were written shorthand. Applying the terms to the concept of a cell was done successfully, because they selected "semi permeable" from their list of terms/definitions. The student was also able to make a guess as to which type of membrane the balloon has.
6. What might the student still be struggling with? What evidence is present?
All of the answers that the student gave were technically correct. They probably generally understand the concepts. However, there was room for reflection and creativity in these pre-demo questions. It seems that the student may have brushed over some details. The definition of diffusion did not include the fact that no energy is required. When question 2 instructed students to "break down" the membrane terms and explain what they meant, the student did not seem to engage in this part of the question. Only simple definitions were provided. More detail (defining or identifying different parts of the terms, thinking how it applies to cells, etc) would have increased proof of their depth of understanding.
7. Were you satisfied that the worksheet or task was adequate for this topic? What changes might improve this resource in the future? Why?
As mentioned earlier, I liked that the questions built upon each other. It is helpful to jog some memory and thoughts before providing a demonstration. Students might get more out of the demo if it is not an isolated incident. This worksheet also assesses if students understand the basic concepts. If the questions were answered incorrectly, Mr. Bruneau could clear up misconceptions. This student may have gotten more out of the pre-demo if the worksheet emphasized more reflection, or had more explicit directions about what to include in responses.